10 Stoner Rock Bands You Need To Hear In 2016

1. Kylesa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlbC-hk25Aw One band who embrace every musical element within the stoner rock umbrella and then some is the heavy psychedelic, sludge rock outfit Kylesa. Hailing from Savannah, Georgia, Kylesa emerged along with their hometown companions (Mastodon and Baroness primarily) and like them, quickly built a hardened fanbase because of their explosive live shows and fantastic records. That is where the comparison ends however because Kylesa are a different beast entirely. They utilize two drummers and they certainly make you aware of it on the fantastic 2010 LP Spiral Shadow, especially on songs like the drum pummeling masterclass 'Drop Out' or the dual thud wallop of 'Don't Look Back', showcasing just one trump card in a deck full of eclectic variety. The band have always paid close attention to the subtleties of their music, sometimes simply allowing the atmosphere or vibe of a song dictate how they play out. This kind of attention to detail is what makes compositions like 'Lost And Confused' and 'Long Gone' such well formed pieces of music. But perhaps their greatest recorded musical gift lies in the form of their 2013 hard rock masterpiece Ultraviolet, a simply phenomenal achievement that is unparalleled in the genre in terms of its pacing, atmosphere, hooks and just about everything else that make up an unforgettable album. Records of this majesty don't come around very often as evidenced by career highlight, the slow releasing, headbanger 'Unspoken' - a song that seems to exist on another plane entirely with its druid-like chanting and atmospheric soundscapes combined with scintillating guitar work and a thunderous double drum-kit workout, somehow successfully stitching together avant-garde, space rock and sludge metal into one heady, adrenaline fuelled shot. Their latest release Exhausting Fire has only cemented the group evermore, continuing on with the mind expansive explorations that have served them so successfully in the past. Almost fifteen years into their career and leaders of the pack in 2016, Kylesa show no signs of slowing down going into the second half of the decade. Quite the opposite in fact if their last three cracking releases are anything to go by. Essential listening. Key Tracks: Scapegoat, Drop Out, 111 Degree Heat Index, Unspoken, Shaping The Southern Sky Who are your favourite stoner rock bands to look out for in 2016? Let us know in the comments!